Silver Plated Copper Wire Red Plague

The corrosion of silver plated copper wire has been a problem in recent years in the aerospace industry since this particular type of wire is used in electrical circuits where high reliability and long service life are basic requirements.

Silver plated copper wire red plague.

Several investigative activities were undertaken by esa in the mid seventies. Red plague is an accelerated corrosion of copper when plated with silver after storage or use in high humidity environment cuprous oxide forms on the surface of the parts the corrosion is identifiable by presence of patches of brown red powder deposit on the exposed copper. Red plague is a term that refers to a specific type of silver plated copper corrosion. Targeted for applications where exposure to assembly processes environmental conditions and contamination may promote the development of cuprous cupric oxide corrosion a k a.

These included laboratory evaluations a european red plague survey and eventually the. The term red plague was coined to describe the red cu 2 o and eventually the black cuo troublesome corrosion by products observed in silver plated copper conductors. There is an industry accepted method for measuring key factors in a wire s red plague susceptibility. I ve never used silver plated wire for speaker cable personally so i have no opinion on sonic differences if there are any.

109 ft of silver plated copper wire only 105 ft i e. Red plague of silver coated copper wire cable and harness assemblies. Wire manufacturers must keep equipment in a clean environment. The appearance of red coloured corrosion products on silver plated copper wire has led to the use of the term red plague to describe the problem.

Red plague originates at breaks in the silver plating of copper wire strands in the presence of moisture and oxygen. Red plague control plan rpcp scope. Red plague control plan. Most importantly wire manufacturers should avoid mechanical abrasion of the silver plated conductor in the stranding and braiding process.

0 003 had a significant amount of red plague and that no malfunctions could be attributed to this phenomenon. Nor do i have any opinion on those particular cables. Silver however can tarnish and silver plated wire is susceptible to red plague if moisture gets between the wire and the insulation. Red plague or cupros oxide is the name given to the corrosion effect found in silver plated copper wire.

The environmental test system artificially promotes red plague corrosion under controlled laboratory conditions as a result of galvanic corrosion of the copper conductor core. Red plague forms when the silver plating is damaged exposing the copper wire to moisture or high temperatures. Prescribes the minimum requirements for the control of cuprous cupric oxide corrosion a k a. Some wire cable manufacturers have found a way to minimize the likelihood of red plague.